Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Lanny Liebeskind will serve as interim provost beginning on Jan. 1, replacing Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Ravi Bellamkonda. Liebeskind previously served in a number of roles at Emory University, including spending almost 40 years as Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry and serving as vice provost for strategic research initiatives since 2015.
Liebeskind wrote in a statement to The Emory Wheel that he is “honored” to serve in his new role at Emory.
“Having dedicated most of my professional career to Emory, I am deeply invested in ensuring our academic excellence while continuing to build upon our strengths in interdisciplinary scholarship, research innovation and student flourishing,” Liebeskind wrote.
Emory can expect a new provost before the 2025-2026 academic year begins, according to an email University President Gregory Fenves sent to the Emory community on Nov. 13. This update comes about a month after Fenves announced that Bellamkonda will step down from his role at the conclusion of the fall semester to join The Ohio State University in the same position.
“I look forward to a thorough search that will produce a talented leader to advance faculty eminence, student flourishing, and all aspects of Emory’s academic mission,” Fenves wrote.
Fenves wrote that he would be chairing the provost search advisory committee . The committee includes multiple college deans and vice deans, Student Government Association President Abigail Dubinski (25B), Graduate Student Government Association President Francis Albright (25G) and multiple faculty members.
Education Executives President Ilene Nagel and Consultant John Simon will assist the committee in searching for the new provost. According to the Education Executives website, the company “specializes in the identification, recruitment and mentorship” of university and university-adjacent leaders.
Additionally, Emory has included a survey on the provost search website, allowing staff, faculty and students to provide feedback for the search committee to review and to suggest nominations for the position. There will be listening sessions in December with more information to come, according to Fenves.
Fenves wrote that Liebeskind will “provide steady leadership” until Emory fills the vacancy left by Bellamkonda.
“In Dr. Liebeskind, Emory has a committed scholar who understands our university’s distinctive ethos on a profound level,” Fenves wrote.
